Free Web NovelChapter 162: She would keep him safe no matter the cost.
Lucian ran. The studio vanished behind him, the street around him began to blur, lights stretched into long lines. Roads, rooftops, alleys, and service lanes appeared and disappeared beneath him. He did not slow for fences, locked gates, or narrow turns. He changed direction at sharp, impossible angles, always keeping Evelyn locked inside the protective barrier.
To not overwhelm Evelyn with everything that was happening, he also used some of his energy to block her vision while he himself thought about where he was going.
Lucian did not have time.
His body was already failing.
Blood ran from his nose and mouth, the markings all over his skin were flickering, the violet-black glow in his eyes dimmed, then flared, then dimmed again.
His legs struck the ground with impossible force each time he moved, a force his body wasn’t nearly strong enough to bear. The more he moved, the more his muscles tore apart, his bones bending into unnatural shapes because of the pressure they were under before they broke. He was keeping it all together by forcefully healing his body again and again—
But his healing couldn’t properly keep up.
His body was a mess.
A very violent, agonising, unfinished mess.
And he had no idea how long he would be able to hold on before he collapsed.
What he did know, however, was that the time he had was limited, very limited.
Probably a few more seconds.
And seconds were not nearly enough to reach Enclave’s Main Building. That was too far. He needed to go somewhere else, somewhere safe.
A safe point.
During weeks of paperwork, Clara had shown him the city’s map, hidden Enclave backup rooms, places Enclave Hunters fell back to when the mission went wrong or they needed protection.
Lucian still remembered the map. In fact, most of the routes he approved or disapproved were dependent on the locations the map pointed out.
Lucian’s routes mostly had an Enclave backup room nearby, and right now as well, with limited time in his hand, Lucian ignored the agonising pain in his body and aimed for the closest safe point, pushing his body through impossible limits.
And as he pushed himself more and more—
Forcing himself to move with legs he could no longer heal—
He was finally here.
Just one more turn.
One more turn and he’d be in a safe zone, a place where he could finally let go and collapse without having to worry.
But—
Right at that moment, his right leg failed.
The broken bone was now in pieces, the muscles had all torn apart. The moment he put his leg down, his body lost balance.
At the very last moment, Lucian twisted his body, keeping Evelyn above him, forcing the last bit of his energy around her to make sure she wasn’t hurt, then—
He fell, almost lifelessly.
"L-Lucian?"
Evelyn called out in a worried voice. Lucian’s energy that had blocked her vision scattered, her vision returned and just as it did, just as Evelyn rolled away from him to understand what had just happened—
"LUCIAN!!"
She widened her eyes in horror as she moved towards him, worried and terrified.
Lucian’s strange form was gone, the markings on him had faded into dull, broken lines. The violet-black energy around him had disappeared, his eyes were closed, his breathing was shallow and his legs—
And his legs—
His legs were... ruined.
Torn open muscles, bones protruding through blood and shredded cloth, one knee bent at an angle no body should survive, there was blood all over the ground, and then Evelyn realised he had been running in this condition, while carrying her in his arms...
Her body began to shake.
"Lucian..."
She called out, tears crawling down her cheeks as she crawled towards him.
"..."
Lucian didn’t answer. Evelyn reached down and touched his face.
"Lucian, please wake up."
She begged.
Lucian didn’t move, he looked... lifeless.
And that made Evelyn’s hand shake harder.
"No, no, no, no..."
She pressed her fingers on his neck, desperately searching for a pulse. For one second, she didn’t find anything, and that terrified her more than anything in the world.
Then—
She sensed a terrifyingly weak pulse.
But even that made Evelyn almost collapse from relief.
He was alive.
Barely, but he was still alive.
She needed medical help and she needed it fast. The next moment, her mind cleared up, only one thought remaining.
She needed to save Lucian.
So she moved, she took out her phone, wanting to call a number Lucian had saved in her phone in case of an emergency, but just then—
She heard footsteps and Evelyn froze.
She looked around. They were in a narrow and empty alley, trapped between old buildings. It was... not a safe place.
Not one bit, so when Evelyn heard footsteps, her entire body went cold.
Who was it?
Orpheus?
A Host?
Someone who had followed them?
Evelyn looked at Lucian out of habit. After all, he was the one she always looked at when she needed help, but this time, Lucian couldn’t move, let alone fight. He couldn’t even open his eyes right now.
For the first time since she had met him, he was the helpless one.
Evelyn’s body trembled but then, a determined look appeared in her eyes. She crouched and her hands searched through Lucian’s body, taking his gun out.
It was heavier than she expected.
She didn’t care.
She held it tightly, then, she stood up, forcing her trembling legs to be still. She stepped in front of Lucian, standing between him and the direction the footsteps were coming from, then, she lifted the gun, pointing at whoever was going to appear from the other end.
Yes.
This time.
She was going to protect him.
Even if it meant she had to risk herself.
Because at this point in time, to her, the only thing that mattered more than even her own life was Lucian.
And she would keep him safe no matter the cost.
"Stop!"
Evelyn screamed, pointing the gun at the man who had just appeared at the other end of the alley.
"Miss Starling?"
The man blinked, then, he sighed in relief that he had found her.
Evelyn didn’t care.
"I said stop."
She spoke, her eyes shining dangerously, her fingers already on the trigger.
"Do not come closer."
The man slowly raised both hands, showing he was harmless.
"Miss Starling, my name is Adrian Vale. Voss Security."
He introduced himself.
"How do I believe you?"
Evelyn asked directly.
"I have my card in my pocket."
"No."
Evelyn shook her head.
Anyone could fake a card, she needed something else. It was Lucian’s life at stake, she couldn’t risk it.
The man paused for a moment, then he suggested another method.
"If you let me speak into my comms, I could have Miss Voss or Sir Ashcroft confirm my identity."
Evelyn thought about it for a moment, then she nodded.
"Do that."
She was still suspicious. She thought about how duplicating Clara or Alaric’s voice wouldn’t be difficult, especially in this supernatural world she didn’t know much about, but at the same time, she also knew Lucian was hurt and he needed help.
So when the man confirmed his identity through Clara, and Clara, from the other end, answered a few of the questions only Clara and other members of Alaric’s team should know about—
Evelyn decided to believe him and she—
"Take care of him first."
She instructed.
The man looked at Lucian, at the horrifying state of his legs, and without waiting, he took out a Healing Potion, a potion Evelyn recognised since Lila had once given something similar to her.
The man made Lucian drink the potion and as he did—
"The potion cannot heal such severe injuries, it will stabilise him and stop the bleeding to some extent. For more, we need to move him fast, his situation is critical." ƒreewebηoveℓ.com
He spoke in a concerned voice.
"Okay."
And Evelyn nodded.
